Quinta Wine Tour

Quinta De Sao Bernardo is perhaps the most quaint and adorable place I've ever stayed. It's a working boutique vineyard, with 15 or so rooms, daily new dinner menu, and the most stunning views of the Douro River.

We spent the first two days relaxing at the hotel and exploring the property. Slightly too cold to go paddle boarding in the river but we enjoyed the views from the family room and multiple balconies. I also got plenty of sunshine at the pool. ☀️

For activities, the first afternoon we did a winery tour and tasting, which we found out would include 9 tastings... The wine master was great and told us some history of the region. The Douro region is one of the oldest DOCs (designated wine regions) and originally found global success with exports to England. This prompted the creation of Port due to the need to avoid spoilage by adding brandy or other spirit to the wine.

As the region has grown in exports and in tourism, vineyards are focusing on more single-varietal (one grape) wines vs the blends they had originally prioritized. Some 250 grape varieties are native here and are the only grapes allowed in Douro DOC wines (no international varieties like Pinot Noir). Two main ones: Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz.

All of their wines we tasted were delicious, especially the reds which are super full flavor and tannic. Here they only make 40-50k bottles a year, so they sell most in the restaurant and to a few local places. They also sell grapes to port makers!Read more